Core B: Developmental Core Staff of the core will include the Core Director, John M. Coffin, Ph.D., American Cancer Society Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr Coffin is a leader in research on the biology of retroviruses. Dr. Coffin's responsibilities will be to oversee the process of soliciting, reviewing and awarding developmental funding, to continue the program to encourage the recruitment and development of minority scientists, and to assist the Director of the CFAR in furthering its mission through outreach to the two campuses, the New England region, and to the biomedical research community at large. Peter Shank, Ph.D., Professor of Medical Science and past Associate Dean for Research at Brown Medical School will serve as a faculty mentor to developmental awardees and assist the Developmental Core Director as requested. Basic purposes of the core will be 1) to provide developmental funds through a peer-reviewed application process on a biannual basis to encourage innovative research and to attract new investigators to the HIV/AIDS research field;2) to expand the number of investigators from under-represented minority groups who are active in the field of AIDS research. Developmental Funds will be earmarked for three types of awards 1) Initial AIDS Research Projects: Basic or clinical investigators new to the AIDS research field who do not have AIDS-related research support, with a strong focus on junior investigators. 2) Pilot Projects: Established investigators with or without former AIDS-related research support may apply for funding to investigate promising new areas of research with the aim of developing data that will result in an application for R01-type funding. 3) Collaborative Projects: Two or more established investigators (at least one of whom has AIDSrelated research support) who would like to collaborate on a specific project that is not currently supported by extramural or intramural funds and which promises to enhance the overall quality of AIDS research, may apply for funds for a collaborative project.